My name is Maxine Janjua, and I am a junior at Ridge High School, in Basking Ridge, NJ. I love to cook, exercise, paint, draw, and spend time with family and friends. What inspired me to choose my focus within the commercial real estate space was one day when I was mindlessly scrolling on TikTok. I came across an entrepreneur that came from nothing and built up her own real estate empire so large that she was able to pay off all of her family's debt and secure financial stability for her family. All I've ever wanted to do was give back to my parents, who have sacrificed so much for my sisters and I to be successful in life and never have to worry about our family's financials. I want to build my empire, slowly but strategically, over time in the real estate field, to give everything and more that my parents gave to me. The most influential person in my life is my dad. My dad has always been the most ambitious, aspiring, and considerate person I've known. He works tirelessly every day to support my family while simultaneously working to be the best version of himself physically and mentally. My dad is constantly encouraging my sisters and I to do the same as him and truly find our passion in life and then chase after it. My father came from barely anything in Pakistan and worked insanely hard to come to the United States to train at Yale University in facial plastics. He has inspired me to create my own destiny that could be even slightly as moving as his. He has influenced me educationally to think beyond stereotypical borders to maximize opportunities in school all around. He has always told me that there is help if you just ask for it. Overall, his hard work and dedication to supporting my family inspired me to pursue a higher level of education than High School, so I have the knowledge to slowly start my own real estate business. In terms of personal goals, he has inspired me to become the best version of myself mentally. Due to my father's normalization of mental health treatment, I have allowed myself to be confident that I go to therapy to work on myself. My dedication to bettering myself allows me to have hope for the future and remember "it's not how many times you get knocked down that matters, but how many times you get back up"(Vince Lombardi).